A locally rare stand of maple/basswood timber, this 56-acre forest has an outstanding variety of native wildflowers and an impressive view of the Winnebago River Valley. A concentration of fossils from the Devonian Period can be found on this unique site. Due to these unique features, Claybanks Forest has been listed as a state preserve. The forest is made up of two tracts of land: one 5-miles south of Nora Springs on blacktop S-70 and 3 miles west on 225th Street; another 1/2 mile east (from the first site) and 1/2 mile north on Wren Avenue.